Ateliers Monnaie PUSH
Kids enter the Brussels’ Ateliers La Monnaie / De Munt last year March 14 , 2019 , for the Belgian premiere of the community opera PUSH – a community project – based on the story of Simon Gronowski , holocaust survivor and a Brussels resident. The Belgian queen Mathilde was attended by Simon Gronowski and family. After the show , just before all had left, Amos Suchecki (from the chorus Choeurs d’enfants de la Monnaie) sings me this song a cappella in the hallway – here in the background of this video clip.
April 19th 2020 – Ma Vie N’est Que Miracles –
Tomorrow, April 19th 2020, a special virtual performance of the finale of PUSH – “Ma Vie N’est Que Miracles” – will premiere Online hosted by Howard Moody, Composer – with more than 150 singers from the UK and Belgium (Bexhill, Brussels, Chichester and Salisbury) – exactly 77 years after Simon Gronowski was helped by his mother Chana to jump from the 20th train to Auschwitz after three Resistance heroes stopped this Nazi train transporting 1600 Jewish deportees.
Film : Ateliers Monnaie PUSH (20200418) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media
Transport XX ~ Mark De Geest
NL – Transport XX . Bestemming Auschwitz. Een historische roman van Mark De Geest (1951) filmmaker in Belgie. Uitgever Horizon. Paperback 9789492958365 E-book 9789492958372 . Vandaag uitgekomen.
Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog werden in België meer dan 25.000 Joden vanuit de Dossinkazerne in Mechelen per trein naar Auschwitz gedeporteerd. Drie jongemannen uit Brussel besluiten tot actie over te gaan en beramen een levensgevaarlijk plan om een volgende trein te stoppen en zoveel mogelijk gevangenen te bevrijden. Op 19 april 1943 vertrekt Jodentransport XX met 1.631 mannen, vrouwen en kinderen. Gewapend met slechts één pistool staan de drie jongemannen klaar om de trein tot stoppen te dwingen…
Meer dan 10 jaar geleden al raakte Mark De Geest geboeid door de overval op Transport XX. Hij hoopte er een film over te maken, en die plannen liggen nog op tafel, maar eerst is er nu deze historische roman.
Transport XX ~ Mark De Geest
EN – Historical novel (Dutch language) ‘Transport XX . Destination Auschwitz’ by Belgian filmmaker and author Mark De Geest .
More than 10 years ago Mark De Geest became fascinated by the attack on Transport XX. He hoped to make a film about it, and those plans are still in place , but he now publishes this historical novel first. Paperback 9789492958365 E-book 9789492958372 available from today.
I preordered all , and expect the e-book in the Apple Book Store later today (March 13, 2020).
During the Nazi occupation of Belgium 28 train convoys with over 25,000 Jews and 351 Roma left Mechelen towards the Auschwitz extermination camp.
On the night of April 19, 1943, the 20th transport headed East with 1631 Jewish passengers crammed into 40 cattle cars.
This ‘Transport XX’ left the Mechelen transit camp ‘Kazerne Dossin’ at 10 pm. and was attacked and stopped some 30 minutes later outside Brussels – near Boortmeerbeek.
Armed with only 1 pistol, pliers and an improvised red hurricane lamp the three young Belgians Robert Maistriau, Jean Franklemon, and Youra Livschitz – old schoolmates – stopped the train by putting the red lamp in the middle of rails. They were able to open one of the cattle cars and liberated 17 men and women. Another more than 200 prisoners escape from the train before the German border.
Book : Transport XX – Bestemming Auschwitz. Mark De Geest ISBN 9789492958365 | horizon.be
Film : 20200313 Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | 1-memo.com
Ashes Pond An unforgettable moment for me that ‘touching the ash pond’ I filmed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, were I was filming Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel, May 2012, for the upcoming documentary film Miracles. Into this pond were dumped the ashes of the people, who were murdered (gassed) and burned at the nearby crematorium. Sharing this moment today for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camps. Courtesy of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland. Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp in Poland, May 24th 2012. Film : Ashes Pond (20200127) Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com
Embrace ~ Google Maps
Google message ‘Your added place is making a difference’:
On the map 10,000 views today Jan. 21, 2020 at the ‘Embrace’ landmark I added the day before the inauguration of the work of art EMBRACE (October 26, 2018) by Koenraad Tinel – translation of his remarkable friendship with lawyer Simon Gronowski – at the foot of the Basilica Koekelberg in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium.
Watch the original panorama here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2018/10/26/embrace/
The place needed a more recent photo – that I added today 😉
Embrace – art by Koenraad Tinel in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium.
Film : 20200121 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo.com | miracles.media
Aftermovie of that swinging Saturday night June 22th 2019 when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman – holocaust survivor – Simon Gronowski to play with him and The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band in the Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people in Brussels, Belgium.
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz , and an orphan after the war … jazz helped Simon find his way – watch Simon’s story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | Simon Gronowski | Sarah Ehrlich | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent. Film JAZZMAN (20190715) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
Swinging Saturday night June 22th when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman – and a holocaust survivor – Simon Gronowski to play with Woody and his band in Brussels Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people … after playing “Ole Miss” here Sim once again now with “Struttin with some Barbeque”.
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz were his mother and sister were murdered. After the war, an orphan, Jazz helped Sim (his artist name from early postwar times) find his way – watch his story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – full film online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Another clip from Sim the Jazzman and Woody last week in ‘Simon & Woody’s Swing’ , here https://youtu.be/qGAs2YRxK-o , and yesterday this one https://youtu.be/oslTbWAEZN0
Note please , that I had not planned at all to record an entire song during the show – just some seconds sometime at the start , the end or whenever possible of Simon with Woody, just a scene together with applause perhaps , for use in the non-profit educational documentary ‘Miracles’ on Simon’s life that I am making – so , that’s why the camera wasn’t always pointing to the performance, and I had to edit and cut away lengthy applause (sorry) – but these are magical moments I like to share all rightaway. I initially had even thought of just using an iphone – keeping a low profile – luckily I used that excellent small camera , the Sony a7s2 , with a small external mic that worked OK except with that loud applause 😉
Here the whole song for Simon, his family, Woody, the Eddy Davis Band and fans. Wow , what a flow!
Woody Allen , Simon Gronowski & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Saturday night June 22, 2019 at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels , Belgium.
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent. Film Sim’s BBQ (20190630) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
Saturday night fever June 22th when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman and holocaust survivor Simon Gronowski to play with Woody and his band in Brussels Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people … here Woody wathing Sim’s ‘solo’ – well…not really solo..with great help by the band 😉
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz were his mother and sister were murdered. After the war, an orphan, Jazz helped him find his way – watch his story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – full film online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Another clip from Sim the Jazzman and Woody last week in ‘Simon & Woody’s Swing’ , here https://youtu.be/qGAs2YRxK-o
Simon Gronowski & Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Saturday night June 22, 2019 at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels , Belgium.
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent.
Film Sim’s solo (20190629) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
More soon…
